Parents face theft charge over lunches
CHARLEROI – Charleroi Regional police are charging parents who haven’t paid for their children’s school lunches with theft of services.
Police filed three new cases Tuesday before District Judge Larry Hopkins against parents or legal guardians who haven’t paid a total of $1,783 for lunches in the 2014-15 term in Charleroi Area School District, court records show.
Charleroi Superintendent Ed Zelich said the unpaid lunches cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.
“We’re willing to work with the people,” Zelich said.
He said many of the unpaid bills involve families whose children qualify for free or reduced lunches, but they don’t fill out the paperwork for the program.
A court official said the charge against a parent often gets withdrawn if the bill is paid, and that is made known at a preliminary hearing.